Chapter 249
Standing Before Love
âSheâs the young lady of the Stark Family. Didnât Tony tell you, Gemma?â Sebastian looked at Gemma in surprise to salvage what was left of Myraâs approval of him. Then, he shot Tony a disgruntled look.
âAnd youâwhy are you keeping such a low profile when you are in a relationship?â
âIâm worried that somebody might snatch her away,â Tony answered calmly despite Sebastianâs rhetorical question.
Everybody was astounded when they heard that, but they broke into knowing grins right away.
The only time Tony acts like a normal man is when we talk about Myra in front of her. Thereafter, they turned to Gemma in unison, their gazes holding traces of pity.
Tony tightened his arm around Myraâs waist when he said that and he completely ignored Gemma who was standing in front of him. Then, he led Myra to their seats.
Gemmaâs expression soured slightly.
Based on her usual temper, she would have marched right up to Myra and given her a slap while demanding for her to leave. However, this was the Hart Residence. Sebastian and Lisa, who were the elders, were around, so she could not go overboard.
Nevertheless, Gemma was trembling with anger when she saw Tony holding Myra in his arms.
How dare the woman seduce Tony by leaning against him so intimately?
Gemma clenched her fists tightly while suppressing the bubbling anger rising in her chest. She turned around to approach the two of them, but she maintained a calm expression. âOhâthe Stark Family? I wasnât aware that thereâs a family with that name in Bradfort City; I suppose itâs not a large family. I am sorry, Miss Stark, for not recognizing you. That was rude of me.â
Everybody frowned when they heard that. What Gemma said was extremely rude but she made it sound very natural. She walked to Myra and reached out her hand. âNice to meet you, Miss Stark.â
Myra regarded the exquisite woman who was staring at her with a frosty gaze, but she did not give anything away. After all, they were in the Hart Residence, so it was best to keep trouble to a minimum.
Myra knew that she had to keep her cool even though Gemma was eyeing Tony, not to mention that the woman was challenging her openly.
In the end, Myra extended her hand. âLikewise, Miss Walton.â
When they shook hands, Myra felt sharp fingernails digging into her right thumb. A sharp pain shot through her hand and her eyes reflected her surprise, but Gemma released her hand almost instantly.
Before Myra could take her seat, everybody saw Gemma picking up some wet wipes from the table after releasing Myraâs hand. Then, she started wiping her hand carefully; it was the one which she used to shake Myraâs. After that, Gemma threw the wet wipes into the trash can.
The atmosphere in the dining room changed subtly.
When Gemma saw everyone looking at her, she smiled at them innocently. âI am much like Tony and Iâm slightly obsessed with cleanliness. I canât allow even the slightest filth to come into contact with my hand. I apologize for that.â
The slightest filthâ¦
Isnât she blatantly stating that thereâs something filthy on Myraâs handâ¦
Tonyâs expression darkened instantly. He glanced at Gemma, who was still standing at the side, and his frosty gaze lingered on her. He looked as if he was about to freeze her to death with his stare.
Gemma felt shivers down her spine and she was even more upset.
This woman must be the woman who got into Tonyâs car last night! Today, Lyla even mentioned that Tony is in love with a womanâcould this woman be the one? The young lady of the Stark Family?
Does she truly think that sheâs from an important family? Itâs nothing to shout about! I wonder how she plotted to get into Tonyâs bed!
Sebastian snorted loudly and his expression turned foul too. Suddenly, Serena broke the silence. âTony and Miss Stark, do go ahead and wash your hands; itâs almost dinnertime. Miss Walton is rightâyou canât be sure how dirty your hands are.â
Gemmaâs expression changed drastically when she heard Serena.
She was most probably not expecting the Hart Family to be so protective of Myra. Then, she noticed Sebastianâs and Lisaâs expressionsâthey didnât look too pleased with her either. Gemmaâs expression fell but she snorted lightly all of sudden, because she saw the seat to Tonyâs left was empty. She was about to sit down but an 8 to 9-year-old suddenly ran toward her swiftly.
The child saw Gemma was about to sit beside Tony just as he was entering the dining room. He ran even faster when he saw that. âDonât sit at my motherâs seat!â Henryâs voice reverberated throughout the dining room before anyone even saw him.
Gemma was stunned into silence but Henry had already reached her. He pulled Serenaâs hand and they took their seats to Tonyâs left. âThis is my motherâs seat. Miss, your seat is next to my Great-
Grandma. Have you forgotten?â
Gemmaâs expression soured while she stared at Serena, who had taken her seat calmly.
If I abandon my earlier seat, it would seem as if Iâve abandoned my position with Old Madam Hart. After all, I was chatting with her before Tony arrived. I need to leave a good impression with the Hart Family, after all, but if I were to give up the chance to sit beside Tony, it will benefit that woman he has by his side! Gemma was extremely frustrated but she had to force a smile. âHenry, you are so childish. Who says that Iâm sitting here?â
With that, Gemma made her way reluctantly toward Lisa. Later, she saw Henry seated beside Myra while smiling at her happily, as though claiming credit for what he had done.
Myra smiled happily at him while patting the childâs head.
Sheâs such a b*tch! Only God knows what she did to charm Tonyâs weird nephew!
Myra was about to stand up to head to the bathroom. However, just as she stood up, Tony grabbed her hand straight away. He tugged at her suddenly and she fell onto his lap.
Tony stayed put and he wrapped his arms around Myra. âHave a seat first. Why are you in such a hurry?â
That is such a blatant public display of affection!
Everybody appeared calm since they were used to Tonyâs fake gentlemanly façade. Henry barely flinched, apart from rolling his eyes at Tony. Instead, he enthusiastically served a bowl of soup in front of Myra. âGreat-grandma spent the whole afternoon preparing the soup for you, Myra. Iâll give you a bowl of it first and you can enjoy it when it cools slightly later.â
Upon listening to Henryâs comment, Myra suddenly recalled that Sebastian said something similar earlier.
She was just about to say something when Tony squeezed her hand. His expression was tender when he said, âQuickâthank Grandma.â
At the mention of the word âGrandmaâ, Myra couldnât be sure if Tony did it deliberately but he emphasized the term. Tony squeezed her hand tighter when he said that too.
Myraâs face blushed immediately and she glared at him. Then, she stood up from his lap to turn toward Lisa.
âThank youââ Before she could finish her sentence, Tony stood up abruptly to wrap an arm around her waist. Myra felt a sharp pain in her waist, and she glanced at the quiet but shameless man standing beside her. Her face flushed red when she whispered, âGrandma.â
Lisaâs expression remained calm and indifferent, but her eyes reflected her amusement. âQuickly now âgo and wash your hands.â
âOkay.â Myra nodded and she made her way to the bathroom.
Under everybodyâs suggestive scrutiny, Tony stood up lazily to head to the bathroom after Myra.